KANYE WEST, DILATED PEOPLES, DJ SUPASAM
(Showbox) See the Truth, page 43.
AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB, DAVE BAZAN
(Crocodile) AMC are the patchwork quilt of early '90s college rock band-dom. Their seven critically celebrated albums successfully weave elements of pure rock, rootsy Americana, and punk into one warm, though often dark, cloth. While "The Reunion Tour" in and of itself is usually an unwanted beast, this one's not--if only for 1984-1995, a comp of rarities and unreleased material that's only available on this tour and the band's website. David Bazan just released Achilles Heel, his newest (and rumored to be the last under this moniker) Pedro the Lion work on Jade Tree. It's full of almost Matthew Sweetsy JAMS, people, and its delivery harks back to his looser, brighter It's Hard to Find a Friend days. These are Bazan's gems; the light behind the pervasive themes of parabolic turmoil that have defined his recent albums. JOAN HILLER
VOLCANO I'M STILL EXCITED!!, THE CAPITOL YEARS, LEVI FULLER AND THE LIBRARY, THE PURRS
(Graceland) Volcano, I'm Still Excited!! have sure gotten a ton of press lately considering how forgettable their elementary self-titled Polyvinyl debut is. It's almost too bad, too, 'cause their cookie-cutter pop is treated with such angularity and smirky wit that it almost graduates to junior high. Songs like "Shouting Across the Water" and "By No Means" are slathered with warm organ and simple SK-5 Casio beats that might prove endearing if they didn't animate such sophomoric subject matter: Volcano's hookiest attempt, "New Brad," is the whiniest, most desperate breakup song since Pink's "Misery," but not in a good way. In it, our protagonist breaks into his ex's house and nasally declares, "Your window wasn't open like you promised!" Yeah, buddy. That's because bitch doesn't want you around. And you know what? Your song won't get her back. JOAN HILLER
FRIDAY 4/2
STEREOLAB, MANITOBA
(Showbox) See preview, page 45.
THE MEXICAN BLACKBIRDS, THE DISTRACTION, THE RABID DOGS, THE ELECTRIC KISSES
(Hideaway) See Stranger Suggests, page 25.
GRAVY TRAIN!!!!, I AM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, ANNA OXYGEN, PAPER LIONS
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 35.
JOEL R. L. PHELPS, SECRET TREE
(Tractor) Without "and the Downer Trio" tacked on to former Seattle resident Joel R. L. Phelps' name, I'm led to believe this will be one of his intimate, acoustic performances, bringing the same lump to the throats of listeners as what sounds like is forming in Phelps' own larynx as he sings in his rangy, emotionally evocative voice. He is a truly gifted singer and songwriter, formerly of Silkworm, and this rare performance is not to be missed. KATHLEEN WILSON
THE RUBY DOE, MUZZLE, DOLOUR, PRIS, SENATE ARCADE, ROCK SCHOOL BANDS
(Vera Project) Self-released and self-assured, Dolour's latest album, New Old Friends, is another pop extravaganza with a definitive edge keeping things from floating too far from reality. "I Smell a Lawsuit" is all about the fickleness of record-label star makers, "Next 2 U" is a bustling tale of worrisome attraction, and my favorite tune, "Butter Knife Suicide," reminds me of the joyful, silly seriousness of the Replacements. This time singer and songwriter Shane Tutmarc is joined by at least 10 musicians, playing instruments as regular as guitars and drums, and diverse as bells, cello, horns, piano, and even a ukulele. The rest of the bands on the bill are much louder and more rock-oriented, which should make for an interesting night. KATHLEEN WILSON
SATURDAY 4/3
THE PALE, STATISTICS, NOW IT'S OVERHEAD, GUESTS
(Neumo's) See Stranger Suggests, page 25.
THE GLORYHOLES, SWARMING HORDES, THE ABODOX, ME INFECTO, THE HONKY KO, THE RECTOR PROTECTORS, GUESTS
(Sunset) Punk rock and skateboarding go together like me and Johnny Knoxville. They're just made for each other, ya know? So when the Sunset decided to throw a benefit show to raise money for the Ballard Skate Park, they chose punk and metal bands to fill the bill. You've got yer wily garage rock from the Gloryholes, your metalcore from Swarming Hordes, the Abodox, and Me Infecto, and some other stuff from the other bands whose music I've never heard. It's all for a good cause and it's all day and all night, so grab your board and get over there. JENNIFER MAERZ
FCS NORTH, DJS ON STRIKE, SIENTIFIC AMERICAN, PLEASEEASAUR, FOURTHCITY CREW
(Chop Suey) FCS North may be Seattle's preeminent instrumental post-rock unit (is that like being the Middle East's top skier?). Seriously, these guys have superb chops (especially drummer Andy Sells) and fascinatingly fluid dynamics. FCS North's coolly gliding vibes and vigorous rhythm section hint at Tortoise infatuation, but these locals boast a more vibrant attack than their Chicago brethren. This is a CD release party for FCS North and Sientific American, who are launching a label called Mass Mvmnt in June. DAVE SEGAL
UNITED STATE OF ELECTRONICA, BETHURUM COLLECTIVE, DJ MATT NICHOLS
(Crocodile) That USE had to self-release their album is a damning indictment of the music industry. Their self-titled debut is a blues-obliterating serum shot to your root chakra. Placing papaya-sweet, rococo-pop melodies and gorgeous vocodered vocals into uplifting French house rizzims, USE can turn the surliest grouches into incurable optimists. All the labels that passed on this disc will feel silly when USE get their own TV show in 2005. DAVE SEGAL
Q-BURNS ABSTRACT MESSAGE, JON LEMMON, JEROMY NAIL
(Baltic Room) Orlando, Florida's Q-Burns Abstract Message (Michael Donaldson) was one of America's brightest hopes in the erstwhile electronica boom of '97 (he opened for Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim on their U.S. tours that year and later signed to Astralwerks). On 1998's Feng Shui, Q-Burns made funky house, quirky big beat, R&B, ethnodelica, and even a spangling version of DJ Faust's proto-shoegazer classic "Jennifer" rewardingly coexist. But after 2001's slicker, weaker Invisible Airline, Q seems to have given up original productions for remixing duties and an endless global DJ tour, including gigs in Siberia and Columbia. Let's hope he'll be touchin' on something special tonight--like maybe his Britney Spears/Basic Channel mashup. DAVE SEGAL
MORE MUSIC @ THE MOORE
(Moore) This is the third annual More Music @ the Moore concert, where young local acts have a chance to play the fancy-pants Moore Theatre, an opportunity that some bands would probably kill (or critically harm) for. Not only do the young musicians have the chance to play at the Moore, but the More Music program also includes recording sessions and workshops led by famous music-industry notables (like Reggie Watts and Michael Shrieve, who drummed for Santana). So it's kind of like a rock and roll boot camp, and tonight's show is a showcase of all the hard work. There's a variety of genres showcased, everything from the all-girl punk band the Mechanical Dolls, to vocalists Isabella Graf and Merrily Scruggs-James. Aleteena Mobley, As One, Dynamik, the Tonics, and DJ Illusion (Reggie Tanner) are also on the bill, and KEXP's John Richards will be emceeing the all-ages event. MEGAN SELING
DEGENERATE ART ENSEMBLE, GUESTS
(Jem Studios) Seattle's multi-culti, gypsy-punk, jazz-classical-kitchen-sink crew, Degenerate Art Ensemble, don't just perform shows when they come together in their entirety, they throw parties. Tonight's event is a fundraiser/CD release (for their seventh album, recorded here and in Berlin, as the band has a loyal following overseas as well), and it will include Butoh-inspired dance/theater as well as the band's eclectic musical incorporations, which they claim are used to "explode the boundaries of art." Tonight's show should provide some dynamite for the cause. JENNIFER MAERZ
SUNDAY 4/4
FANNYPACK, THE FITNESS, COLBY B
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 35.
THE PROCLAIMERS, THAT 1 GUY
(Crocodile) Like the show's ads say, the Proclaimers are the twins who sang that "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" song more than a decade ago. But at the risk of sounding like a total geek, the duo's (actually, their names are Craig and Charlie Reid) new record, Born Innocent, is pretty dang good. The songs are often darker than expected--not just in comparison to their famous single off of Sunshine on Leith and their somewhat confusing, semi-religious-themed Hit the Highway--but even the sweet yet curt Persevere still doesn't match the harmony-driven ferocity of the new album. KATHLEEN WILSON
TUESDAY 4/6
IRON & WINE, HOLOPAW, PATRICK McKINNEY
(Neumo's) See Drunk by Noon, page 45, and Stranger Suggests, page 25.
QUANNUM WORLD TOUR--BLACKALICIOUS, DJ D SHARP, DJ SHADOW, THE GIFT OF GAB, JOYO VELARDE, LATYRX, LATEEF AND THE CHIEF, LIFESAVAS, LYRICS BORN
(Showbox) See preview, page 36.
ELECTRELANE, THE TURN-ONS, BREAKER! BREAKER!
(Chop Suey) A dirgy disco beat continues coursing through new indie circuitry like a spit-slicked finger jamming on a cracked electric socket. Case in point: Breaker! Breaker!, a lo-fi art-punk band that pairs crackling vocals with forceful dance commanders and Riot Grrrl cheers, adding tinny synths that appear to be a couple clicks away from shooting sparks, and guitars that churn on a spin cycle of effects. The Brooklyn band's debut on Velocirecords sounds like it was recorded in a stark basement warmed only by the body heat drummed up in the songs--so what B!B! lack in a more complicated, textured sound they make up for with an organic, excitable energy that paints the trio to be heroes of the DIY dance floor. And sometimes that's all you need to get the party started. JENNIFER MAERZ See also preview, page 39.
XIU XIU, PARENTHETICAL GIRLS, LOVERS, IMPERIAL ROME
(SS Marie Antoinette) Carolyn Berk's songs are bruised with an impossible sentimentality--every couplet is a romance, marred with an awkward nostalgia for everything in its wake. Sort of like with real lovers, I suppose. Strange, that. With Lovers, Berk's occasional band, every body part--from wrist to gums--becomes a landscape of locked memory. A landscape that she traverses with a literate, evocative grace--somehow transcending the sap that inherently mires the subject matter of love, loss, hopelessness, and everything else mediocre songwriters tend to muck up. With The Gutter and the Garden Berk reconfirms the lyrical prowess initially established with the band's criminally overlooked predecessor, Star Lit Sunken Ship--expanding her disheartened vision with a peppering of conditional optimism. As dreary and droning as ever, The Gutter and the Garden expands the band's sonic scope ever so slightly--minor becomes major a little more often, arrangements elaborated--while maintaining the slight Southern sensibility that grounded their previous effort. ZAC PENNINGTON
WEDNESDAY 4/7
THE WILLOWZ
(Studio Seven) Fuck the fickle music flacks who are so done with garage rock because, you know, after the White Stripes and shit, it's all so over. Yeah, the genre's pretty saturated, just like they all are, buddy, and then you pick up a disc like the self-titled debut from the Willowz; it's a reminder of what gets people so damn jacked on garage in the first place. There's the tambourines rattling like rims about to fly off an old Mustang, vocals so snotty they should come with Kleenex, and so many killer tracks that just smack you upside the head like the mic of an overactive frontman. If you're into the whole Clone Defects/Black Lips madness, you've gotta see this show. JENNIFER MAERZ
BUCK 65, DJ SIGNIFY, MR. HILL
(Chop Suey) Canada's greatest gift to hiphop, Buck 65 (Rich Terfry), made the leap from underground bastion Anticon to Warner Canada without watering down his richly introverted, emotionally piercing production or ĂĽber-funky beats (he accurately calls it "dirt-road breakbeat blues"). He may boast about his big dick like many other wack MCs, but that's because he's rapping from a centaur's perspective (see "The Centaur" off the classic Vertex). Buck utters profundities about baseball, stupidity's repulsiveness, sleep apnea, and other crucial matters out the side of his mouth as if he were a Nova Scotia-raised Ratso Rizzo. His CDs go for outrageous import prices now, but they're worth it; Buck 65 is hall-of-fame material. DAVE SEGAL
AZURE RAY, THE ELECTED, OKKERVIL RIVER
(Crocodile) Between Azure Ray's two-woman harmonic double helix and Okkervil River's dusty brilliance, you'd almost think adding a third band to this bill would be more than people could handle. But the Elected is the side project of Rilo Kiley's Blake Sennet, who is unfairly overlooked in his main band (for reasons that are obvious to any musician who is not a lead singer), despite being a mightily talented indie pop singer and songwriter. The Elected's debut LP is out on Sub Pop now. Meanwhile, Okkervil River's Down the River of Golden Dreams continues to enthrall anyone who comes near it (somewhere by the corner of Calexico and the Decemberists), and Azure Ray rightfully racks up the plaudits for its gently dour material. Essentially, you can't go wrong tonight. SEAN NELSON
DAMIEN JURADO, JESSE SYKES AND THE SWEET HEREAFTER, COCOROSIE, GUESTS
(Neumo's) A sister act sans the highbrow hilarity of Whoopi Goldberg, CocoRosie is the work of Bianca and Sierra Casady. Some people think they are French, but they might be from Brooklyn. You'll have to ask them to find out. Whatever the origins, the duo's first album, La Maison de Mon R*ve (Touch & Go), is a strange, disarming folk beauty. The music they make is like field recordings from a land where the plantation is overrun by thrift-store gypsies. When Sierra sings, she belts it out like an operatic Buffy Sainte-Marie. When Bianca sings, she sounds like the offspring of Devendra Banhart and Billie Holiday. How she sings like that without hardly moving her mouth is truly a miracle. When they sing together and add in bits of the lowest-of-fi percussion and the oddly pleasing sound of Casio toys, it sounds like the future. JON PRUETT
LARRY TEE
(Fenix Underground) The bespectacled baldy responsible for naming and disseminating the Electroclash™ plague returns, promoting a new mix disc on Mogul Electro, E2 (Electroclash Vol. 2). Not content to live in idle deca-dance off royalties from RuPaul's "Supermodel (You Better Work)," Tee is now recording a solo album with help from Erasure, ex-LFO member Mark Bell, Princess Superstar, and others. I just can't wait for that to drop. DAVE SEGAL
